Famed opera star treasures the variety of roles on the low end of the vocal spectrum

Although he feels for a younger generation used and abused by such directors, Furlanetto’s stature and experience allow him the luxury of singing only with people he respects and who share his view of the artist as “a filter between the composer and the audience.”

And when that filter works, there are moments like he experienced in “Don Quichotte” in 2009.

“After the death, at the end of the opera, I went out immediately (in front of the curtain) alone,” he said. “And I saw 3,000 people jumping to their feet.

“That’s the most (satisfying) experience you can have as a singer.

“Because there is no money, no glory, no nothing but that — to have the knowledge that you have delivered the message.”

Voice lessons: Singers and the art of singing

If you really want to hear “The Voice,” don’t bother watching TV. It’s opera season, and the San Diego Opera is bringing in more than a dozen singers whose pipes will blow away anything you’ve seen on the tube.

This year, we’re going to focus on four of them, representing each voice type (soprano, mezzo-soprano/alto, tenor and bass), and talk to them about their craft.